This invention relates to a connector which is mountable on an object and which is mateable with a mating connector.
As shown in FIGS. 33 to 35, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector 800 which is mounted on an object 860 in an up-down direction (Z-direction) and which is mateable with a mating connector 900 along the up-down direction (Z-direction). The mating connector 900 comprises a received portion 910 and locked portions 920. Under a mated state where the connector 800 is mated with the mating connector 900, each of the locked portions 920 faces upward (a positive Z-orientation) in the up-down direction. The connector 800 comprises a housing 810, a plurality of terminals 820 and two additional members 830. Each of the terminals 820 is held by the housing 810. Each of the additional members 830 is held by the housing 810. The housing 810 is formed with a receiving portion 812. Under the mated state where the connector 800 is mated with the mating connector 900, the receiving portion 812 receives the received portion 910. The two additional members 830 are positioned at opposite sides, respectively, of the housing 810 in a perpendicular direction (X-direction) perpendicular to the up-down direction. Each of the additional members 830 comprises a spring portion 840 and an operation portion 850. The spring portion 840 is resiliently deformable and has a lock portion 842. The lock portion 842 faces downward (a negative Z-orientation) in the up-down direction. The operation portion 850 extends outward in the perpendicular direction from the spring portion 840. The operation portion 850 has a pressed portion 852. The pressed portion 852 is positioned outward in the perpendicular direction beyond the receiving portion 812.
[Patent Document 1] JP-B 5716803
As understood from FIG. 35, in order to release the mated state of the connector 800 with the mating connector 900 of Patent Document 1, a jig 950 abuts against the pressed portion 852 of the operation portion 850 to apply a force thereto, so that the lock portion 842 is moved inward in the perpendicular direction to release the mating. Specifically, the lock portion 842 is supported by the spring portion 840 which is resiliently deformable, so that the lock portion 842 is movable in the perpendicular direction. However, there is a possibility that, if the mating connector 900 is pulled upward in order to be tried to be forcibly pulled off from the connector 800 under the mated state where the connector 800 is mated with the mating connector 900, the mating connector 900 might be pulled off from the connector 800 by the lock portion 842 being moved to cause a deformation of the spring portion 840.